Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan (right), other police officials and members of Wilbur "Will" Bartley's family walk up East Oakland's International Boulevard on their way to the press briefing. A $15,000 reward has been offered for tips leading to an arrest in Bartley's slaying.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan (right), other police officials...

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Meshon Bartlow becomes emotional as she talks about her father, Wilbur Bartley, outside his store.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Meshon Bartlow becomes emotional as she talks about her father,...

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People stop by the phone store on International Boulevard where Wilbur Bartley was killed.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

People stop by the phone store on International Boulevard where...

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Tenika Jackson, a customer of Wilbur Bartley, brought balloons and flowers and spoke about her respect for the man. Family members and Oakland police pleaded for information about the murder of popular cell phone merchant Wilbur Bartley Wednesday night on International Boulevard.

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Tenika Jackson, a customer of Wilbur Bartley, brought balloons and...

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Family members hold up pictures of Wilbur Bartley during the press briefing.

The family of a man shot and killed inside his East Oakland cell phone store implored the public for tips Thursday as the police chief vowed to find the person who killed him.

Wilbur "Will" Bartley, 50, was found on the floor of Marcus Cellular at 9230 International Blvd. at 7:22 p.m. Wednesday, less than a half-hour after closing time, police said.

As investigators scoured the area for tips Thursday, relatives, neighbors and friends mourned the loss of the popular store owner, a die-hard Oakland Raiders fan and community fixture who was known as "Mr. Marcus" - the store is named after his son - and the "cell phone guy."

They described him as the reliable phone salesman who knew everybody's name - and their cell phone numbers - by heart.

He sold pagers back when they were in style, let customers make special arrangements to pay their bills if they were a little short and told others to wait just a month when the phone they craved would cost less.

"This is such a sad, sad moment, not because of just what's been taken from us, but because of what's been taken from everyone else," Bartley's daughter Meshon Bartlow said through tears outside the store. "He did things that he did not have to do. He did things for people that he didn't have to do for. He did them without question, without reason. He just did. He gave continuously, without a second thought."

'Torture and torment'

Police Chief Howard Jordan urged the killer to surrender to end the "torture and torment" for the family.

"We're very sad that that happened," Jordan said. "I'm here to personally condemn that senseless act of violence against this man."

A makeshift memorial of balloons, candles and flowers grew in front of the business Thursday as well-wishers paid their respects and wrote messages of condolences. Someone arranged a string of letters on the front gate to read, "God why?"

Acquaintances said Bartley, mindful of crime in the neighborhood, handled business from behind bulletproof glass inside his store. He would venture out through an adjacent door only to receive or hand over larger packages.

A sweet man

Friends said Bartley was their go-to guy for any phone-related issue.

"I got my first pager from him almost 10 years ago, when pagers were the norm," said Lakeisha Dawkins, 35. "He was a good man. He was sweet to everyone, especially kids."

Dawkins said even as other merchants left the area due to concerns over crime, Bartley stayed put. "He had faith in the community, trying to serve the community, and this is what happens," she said.

"There's really no words to explain it - I just saw the guy a few days ago, and now he's gone," said Jerry Ellis, 62. "The extraordinary part of it is the fact that there's so many people out there with really no regard for life."

A previous robbery attempt of Bartley received wide news coverage.

On the night of Jan. 10, 2007, Bartley left the store and was apparently followed to his home near 96th Avenue and Olive Street, where a gunman robbed him of $400, credit cards and his identification.

That's when Buffy, his German shepherd, ran from the yard and jumped on the assailant, who fired two shots. One shot hit the dog in her left forelimb. The 7-year-old dog was euthanized following complications from the shooting.

Buffy was posthumously named Valor Dog of the Year by the Humane Society of the United States for what it described as "the extraordinary courage she exhibited when she intervened during a robbery to save her owner's life."

Reward

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering a reward of up to $15,000 for tips leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call Oakland police at (510) 238-3821 or a tip line at (510) 773-2805.